Novartis Consumer Health Announces Multi-Year Deal with NBA for Lamisil(R)(AT)(TM) Brand

    SUMMIT, N.J., April 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Novartis Consumer Health, Inc. and
 the National Basketball Association (NBA) announced today the signing of a
 multi-year agreement that includes media, marketing and promotional
 initiatives to support the Lamisil(AT) brand.  Now an official sponsor of the
 NBA, Lamisil(AT) is a leading nonprescription athlete's foot medication and
 "the official athlete's foot remedy of the NBA."  To complement this effort, a
 new Lamisil(AT) advertising campaign, set to launch later this spring, will
 feature NBA superstar Grant Hill.
     The partnership between NBA and Lamisil(AT) marks the first entry of a
 pharmaceutical product into the NBA promotional arena.  "Lamisil(AT) has set a
 new standard for athlete's foot treatment, and is now doing the same for
 pharmaceutical marketing," noted MJ Weldon, category director for Dermatology
 at Novartis Consumer Health.  "For us, Grant Hill was a natural choice because
 he personifies what Lamisil(AT) stands for -- 'strength, speed and endurance.'
 He is a leader both on and off the court."
     A gold-medal winning member of the 1996 USA Olympic Basketball Team, Grant
 Hill has accomplished a great deal in his professional life.  He was rookie of
 the year during his first year in the NBA, and was the first rookie in NBA
 history to be the number one vote-getter for an All-Star Game.  Every year
 since, Hill has been selected to the All-Star team, and has led the Detroit
 Pistons each season in points, rebounds, assists and steals.  On the side,
 quietly but intently, Grant Hill devotes considerable money and time to making
 a positive difference in people's lives.
     The NBA-Lamisil(AT) agreement includes broadcast, print and online media
 advertising.  Novartis Consumer Health also has the right to utilize the NBA
 logo and that of its member teams in Lamisil(AT) advertising.  The Lamisil(AT)
 advertising campaign has been created by Grey Advertising, New York.
     "We're thrilled to enter into a new segment of integrated partnerships to
 extend the NBA's presence with a new type of company," stated Ken Derrett,
 senior vice president, Marketing Partnerships, NBA.  "Lamisil(AT) is the
 quality sort partnership that we are excited about attracting to the roster of
 NBA partners."
     Lamisil(AT) Cream was launched in 1999 as the first nonprescription
 athlete's foot treatment requiring just one week of treatment for athlete's
 foot between the toes.  Lamisil(AT) Spray Pump and Lamisil(AT) Solution
 Dropper were approved for nonprescription use on March 17, 2000 and will be
 available in supermarkets, drug stores and mass merchandise outlets this
 spring.  Within weeks of its introduction, Lamisil(AT) became the number one
 over-the-counter athlete's foot cream.
     The NBA, headquartered in New York City, is comprised of 29 teams in the
 United States and Canada and is one of the world's largest providers of sports
 and entertainment programming.  NBA.com is the NBA's official website with
 nearly six million impressions per day.
 
     Novartis Consumer Health, headquartered in Summit, New Jersey,
 manufactures, develops and markets a wide range of branded products the
 purpose of which is to restore, maintain or improve consumer health. Key
 businesses include OTC (over-the-counter medicines), Health and Functional
 Nutrition, Baby and Infant Business, Vitamins/Minerals/Supplements and
 Ingredients and Medical Nutrition products.
 
     For more information, contact Kate King of Novartis Consumer Health,
     908-598-7039.
 
 

SOURCE  Novartis Consumer Health, Inc.